


All Bark, No Bite

by SensationalSunburst



Series: Puppy Love [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: I mean I get it, Libertus has a jealous streak, M/M, Princess is a good dog, Protective!Princess, Puppies, family and shit but don't be dick about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-10 21:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11700435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SensationalSunburst/pseuds/SensationalSunburst
Summary: Libertus learns the hard way that Princess does, in fact, know how to bark.





	All Bark, No Bite

**Author's Note:**

> I almost called this Lord Barkquad

“You gave it  _ beads?” _ Libertus hissed, gesturing harshly towards where Princess was seated at Nyx's feet. She looked up, lifting her head from where she'd been resting it on Nyx’s knee and her ears went flat to her head. 

 

This was likely a long time coming. Nyx could read the lines of barely concealed anger in Libertus from the moment he’d stepped into their favorite, lean-to shack of a bar. He could tell from the clipped, bitten responses to his greetings and his questions that it was only a matter of time before he snapped. 

 

“She's my dog. ” 

 

“It's  _ his  _ dog.” Libertus said, voicing rising like the splash of angry red clawing up his neck, “Nyx! Nyx, what the hell are you playing at?” 

 

“Libs, you're being fucking ridiculous.” Nyx warned, standing warly as Libertus shot up from the table. Luckily, it was early enough that they were essentially alone in the bar, but the bartender turned and obvious eye on them all as Crowe's shout of protest fell on deaf ears.

 

Princess edged herself forward, technically not disobeying the order to ‘heel’ as she was still in contact with Nyx’s shins and stood, leaning her weight against him and forcing Nyx to take a step backwards. She wasn't quite full grown, but she was nearly a hundred pounds and she knew how to use her weight. 

 

Plena frowned and looked to Crowe who shook her head minutely. The last thing she wanted to do  was escalate the situation further by making Libs think they were ganging up on him.

 

“Am I? Have you even looked at yourself lately? Where have you been, huh? We’re your  _ family _ , the only one you got, and you’ve kicked us to the curb for that brat?”

 

“Libs, I love you, but you're pushing it. You don't have to like him, but you're gonna fucking respect him.”

 

Libertus, now fully scarlet, took a single, heavy step forward. 

 

Back in Gahlad, that would have indicated a fundamental breakdown of verbal negotiations. Back in Gahlad, it was the point where a younger  Nyx would have fully lost his cool and launched himself forward. Back in Gahlad, Libertus would have done the same. 

 

But this was Insomnia, and before Nyx could even sneer, the entire bar was jolted by a single,  _ thunderous  _ bark. Behind Nyx, the rest of the glaives jumped, launching their rickety picnic table several inches in the air, spilling beer and skewers and curses down on the dirty concrete below. Libertus leapt backwards with the speed he reserved for life-and-death reactions in the field, stumbling back to brace himself against the bar. And for a moment, the only sound between the thin wooden walls was the unfamiliar rattling of Princess’s full body growl. 

 

“You gonna sic your fucking dog me now?” Libertus shouted, waving the hand not clenched on the barback at where Princess had moved to completely stand in front of Nyx. Her ears were nearly flat against her head, her lips pulled back from a full shining set of vicious teeth. She hunched down, but her back leg was trying to find purchase further back, attempting he knew, to push him further away.

 

Protecting him, Nyx realized with a sickening jolt

 

“No, you  _ asshole _ ! She’s trained to respond to aggression! I’m the one who trained her to do it! Cause you’re right, you prick! She’s the goddamn  _ Prince’s  _ dog! And you can bet your ass she’s trained! Godsdamit Libs! Get your head out of your ass before I do it for you! ” Nyx’s hands were shaking as he reached up to run them through his hair, startled by how quickly he'd nearly been moved to violence. Violence against Libs.  _ Libs _ , his brother, who'd been so angry that Princess had seen him as an actual, credible threat. 

 

“Princess, come.” 

 

All eyes swiveled to look as Noctis, framed in the fairy lights above the door to the bar and as pale as moonglow, held his hand out and down. Princess immediately complied, obviously reluctant to turn her back on Libertus but eager to put herself between her boy and the threat. She stood in front of Noctis now, silent from the moment he’d called for her, staring down the glaives that were staring at her boy. Noctis ran his hand over her head, soothing her enough for her to stop baring her teeth, to coax her floppy ears up and away from her head and stood from where he was crouched in the entryway of the bar. 

 

“Noct-” Nyx breathed, because Noctis’s blank expression, peeking from behind the midnight bangs we was hiding behind, despite his efforts, gave  _ everything  _ away.

 

“Something came up.” Noctis lied. “I can’t stay.” He kept his eyes on Princess, hands gripping the black leash he’d attached to her collar hard enough to render his knuckles white. “Prom- Prompto called. I’ll, uh, I’ll catch you next time.” 

 

Nyx’s heart, which had sunk into his stomach the moment he’d heard Noctis's even, emotionless voice, his stage voice, decided to take the alternate route out of his body and was crawling up his throat, tearing through his chest as Noctis flicked his eyes up to nod at Crowe and Pelna. 

 

“Noctis, wait.” Crowe tried, planting her hands on the beer soaked table to stand and Noctis shook his head and backed away.

 

“I’m sorry- Sorry, I- Prom- Next time.” He turned, never once looking at Nyx and slipped out the way he came, fast enough that the only indication he’d been there at all was the faint clinking of Princess's collar as she ran down the stairs leading to the street after him.

 

Libertus, at the very least, looked cowed. 

 

“Nyx-” He tried, but Nyx held up one furious hand, knowing that if he tried to speak, he'd only say something he'd regret. He turned, pulled out his wallet with shaking hands and threw a twenty on the table and stalked out as Pelna stood, shifting to Libertus and speaking quietly in his ear.  

  
\--

Later, Gladio intercepted him in the stairwell up to Noctis’s apartments. He’d checked the Citadel first, not really knowing why, but the guards stationed there hadn’t seen him since he’d left the animal welfare meeting to meet up at the bar. 

 

“Nyx, I don’t know what you did, but no. Just.” Gladio was undoubtedly massive; he rarely used his bulk to make his point, but now, he rolled his shoulders back and let his stance go wide, subtly blocking the way forward. “Just give him some time.” 

 

Nyx pressed his lips together and nodded, turning to trot back down the way he came. He rounded the building, looking up at the neatly stacked balconies and struggled to remember which of the top floor units was Noct’s. After a moment, he spotted what he was looking for- a forgotten can of Noctis's favorite fruity soda- identifiable only by the garish pink of its sunbleached label. 

 

He took his kukri from his belt, flipped it once in his hand, and chucked it. 

\--  
  


“And it turns out-” Prompto said, absently carding his fingers through Noctis hair where the Prince was sprawled on the couch, his head in his lap, “- I'd left the freaking lens cap on, which, rookie mistake, I couldn't believe it, but the bird didn't even move! It's like it  _ wanted  _  to get it's picture taken and I'm telling you, I may have a future with this-”

 

Prompto paused, his fingers stilling as something thunked into the wall above the sliding glass door that lead to the balcony. Noctis, because he was in fact, just a human sized cat, made a low sound of displeasure in the back of his throat and opened his eyes in time to watch as Nyx warped onto the balcony in a shower of iridescent blue lights. He dangled for a moment before bracing one hand against the wall just above the door and tugging, dropping to his feet and banishing his weapon in a single, well practiced motion.

 

Princess, who’d squeezed herself onto the couch in the void behind Noctis’s curled legs, was at the glass door in an instant, huffing,not barking, and wagging her tail hard enough to move the entirety of her body. 

Noctis slowly sat up, and Prompto almost reached out to stop him, to offer to send Nyx away, when he saw the reluctant smile tugging at the corner of Noctis’s lips. It was, as usual, matched by Nyx’s own fond, unguarded grin. The one Prompto had noticed was only ever given to Noct, which was more than enough for Prompto to stand, arch his back in a stretch and snatch up his things.

 

“Gladio’s gonna be  _ pissed _ !” Prompto said. 

 

“Don’t care.” Noctis replied.

 

And judging by how fiercely Noctis ripped the patio door open, how gently Nyx reached out to rest his hand on Noctis’s cheek, Prompto didn’t think Gladio would really care either. 

**Author's Note:**

> Conflict is the WORST  
> I'm an angry crier so I was like, drawing from a void here  
> Cause you can't just cry and curse at people and win arguments. I know, I think it's bullshit too


End file.
